Disk jockeys (“DJ's”), both professional and amateur, conventionally use slipmats in their performances. As is known, slipmats are mats having about the same size and shape as record disks (e.g., 12-inch LP's). A slipmat is generally placed directly on a turntable's platter, with a spindle of the turntable passing through a central hole in the slipmat. A record is then placed on top of the slipmat. One or both surfaces of the slipmat generally have a low coefficient of friction. The slipperiness of the slipmat allows the turntable to continue spinning at or near its usual rate, while the DJ manually manipulates the record to introduce various effects, such as slowing down the record, pausing, reversing, and “scratching.”
Slipmats come in a variety of types. Some have customized designs printed on them or woven into them. US Patent Document No. 2006/0093777 discloses a slipmat with designs made with phosphorescent material, allowing the designs to “glow in the dark” after being exposed to strong light sources.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,768,897 discloses a slipmat having an elevated surface. The elevated surface has a circumferential edge which may contain lights, such as LEDs, which project light out to the sides. A battery may be attached beneath the elevated surface for powering the lights.
Further, DJ's commonly use transparent or translucent records. These may be clear or provided in any number of colors. Some of these records contain ordinary analog recordings. Others include time and/or pitch information and are designed to work in connection with DJ control software. Examples of transparent time and/or pitch-encoded records include “Control Vinyl” from Serato Audio Research of Auckland, New Zealand, “FS Standard Records” from Stanton Magnetics of Hollywood, Fla., “Time Code Vinyl” from Native Instruments of Los Angeles, Calif., and “Torque Control Vinyl” from M-Audio of Irwindale, Calif.